


vermilion

by viraseii



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, Post weblum episode, They kiss n stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:53:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11830080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viraseii/pseuds/viraseii
Summary: Some cute and fluffy Acxa and Ezor because I need a break from my 100k klangst wip





	vermilion

Ezor tends to ramble when she's nervous. She tries to distract herself, peering over Narti's shoulder and trying to make head or tails out of the teludav schematics. Zethrid is no good for her at times like this - Prince Lotor won't even let them in the same room alone together: "I know you'll both race after her the first chance you get. I can't allow you to do that."

"We could find scaultrite if we find an Unilu swap shop," she says. "Right? I know there are still some out there, my cousin got a handful of valuvium ingots from one once. Or those Veriyan goblets - we could strip those down!"

"We're supposed to mark the other weblum and get it from there when we get close enough," Zethrid says, walking up behind them. "I'm already going."

"But if we can find scaultrite another way!" Ezor insists. "What about the powdered form - I know they still sell that in the next quadrant over."

"The weblum provides the purest source of scaultrite, Prince Lotor was clear about that."

Ezor pouts and turns back to the teludav blueprints. "I know."

Every time she closes her eyes, she remembers Acxa's parting words - _don't worry, Ezor. It'll take just a few vargas._ She's been replaying those words for more than a few vargas. More than a few quintents. More than a few movements.

"Why do we even need this? Why can't Prince Lotor tell us what he wants to do with it? We're still in exile and this isn't going to change anything - it cost Acxa her life and he still - he still won't -"

Narti turns to Ezor and places a hand on her shoulder. Soothing waves radiate outward from the point of contact, rippling and calming Ezor's tensed up muscles. Ezor closes her eyes to prevent the moisture from thickening more. "Thanks, Narti."

"Hey, maybe we can finish this teludav thing quickly and then go after her," Zethrid offers. "While the Prince is doing whatever he wants with it, we can go on a little side mission until he decides to let us know the next phase of his grand scheme, or whatever." She strokes Kova with the backs of her knuckles.

Ezor can't help it. Her eyes well up with tears and she turns and steps into Zethrid's arms, collapsing into the strong embrace that has no difficulty holding her up. "It's been a phoeb, Zethrid! Even if she survived, what is she eating? What is she drinking? Why did she have to go alone? Why couldn't we all have gone to get the scaultrite? We're a team, we stick together!"

"I know," Zethrid sighs as she tightens her hold around Ezor. "She's always too duty-minded. I think we could have just blasted a hole in the beast's side and gotten what we needed without ever having to risk anyone's life. Or sent one of the other pilots - it's not like they contribute much to the big picture, anyway, not like Acxa."

Ezor sniffles and releases all the mounting pressure of the past phoeb into Zethrid's unwavering shoulder. The next weblum, Zethrid's going to be the one going. What if she doesn't make it out, either? What is she going to do if it's just her and Narti left? Narti's her best friend of them all, but she doesn't... talk.

And she's definitely no Acxa. Ezor's heart yearns and tips off the edge into the gaping abyss of worry and grief that clouds her thoughts.

* * *

Ezor looks up when Kova yowls. "Narti?" She stands and walks over to where Narti is beckoning her toward the screen - it's a map of where they are. A blinking green light shows Zethrid's ship preparing to launch from the pod bay of the bigger outline that is Lotor's ship.

And right where Narti's pointing, there's another blinking dot, this one blue, coming in from their left. Ezor _knows_ that blue. Her eyes widen as she stares at the steadily moving ship, her chest filling with cautious hope and relief. Her tongue moves before her neurons - "Acxa's back!"

"What?" Prince Lotor demands, sitting up straighter than Ezor's ever seen him. Her mouth curves up in a smile that splits her face open - "she's back! She's back! Oh, my god, Acxa's back -" Ezor whirls around and barrels out of the room, sprinting toward the pod bay.

Zethrid looks up from where she waits for the go to launch in her pod, one hand on the joystick and one hand on the laser triggers. "Is there a problem?"

Ezor physically pries the top of her pod open and grabs her shoulders, doing her best to shake her back and forth in her seat. "Acxa's back! She's back! Narti was watching the map and her pod popped up on the scanners! She's on her way! You don't need to go! She's back!"

Zethrid gapes and swings herself up and out of the pod. Ezor is vibrating with excitement for the next few doboshes until the very end of the pod bay opens and reveals Acxa's pod in the airlock, covered in foul pink slime and the inside dark. It's tipped on its side like Acxa crash landed - but that's impossible, right? Acxa is flawless in everything she does. Ezor runs toward the airlock right on Zethrid's heels.

Zethrid reaches her first. She throws up the glass, no small feat considering that the pod's about out of fuel and doesn't open on its own at Zethrid's touch. Narti is walking down the pod bay when Ezor glances back. Zethrid leans forward and pulls a half-conscious general into her arms, lifting her out of the pod and setting her legs down gently on he floor. Acxa grips Zethrid tightly with one arm as she stumbles, pushing her blaster back into her holster and reaching up to deactivate her helmet.

Her face is a pallid blue, paler than it usually is, hair kind of a mess, eyes drooping low.

"Acxa-" Ezor interrupts her own sentence by surging forward, wrapping her arms around Acxa's body and curling her head over her shoulder as she breathes in the humid stench of the weblum that lingers over Acxa's armor. Acxa's shaky, but and arm comes up to grip Ezor back in return as one of Ezor's hands trails upward to slide through Acxa's hair. It gets caught after just half an inch.

"What did you need that blaster for? Was there trouble?" Zethrid asks.

"I ran into... the Voltron paladins," Acxa says weakly.

"And they did this to you?" Ezor gasps, smoothing Acxa's tangled hair away from her face.

"No, that was..." Acxa trails off, focusing behind Ezor. Ezor turns to see Prince Lotor, standing a few paces away, chin held up and spine tall as always. He's gazing at Acxa with lowered eyelids, critical. "Prince Lotor," Acxa says more strongly, pulling away from Zethrid to walk forward. Something twinges at Ezor - _there's_ her Acxa, always always _always_ putting duty first. "I'm sorry. I was only able to obtain a single bag of scaultrite."

Lotor stares at her lowered head for another half a second before blowing out a breath. He raises his arms and pulls her into him, much to Ezor's surprise. "Never mind that," he murmurs. "I'm just thankful you made it back to us."

Ezor's mouth curves up into a smile as Lotor steps away, spares the four of them a single quirk of the lips, and then turns to walk back to the cockpit.

Acxa turns back to them. "You need a shower," Ezor says, laughing.

"Yes," Acxa agrees, looking down at her armor with her nose turned up in distaste.

"Some food first, I think you've lost at least twenty pounds," Zethrid huffs.

Kova purrs from Narti's shoulder, leaping gracefully to the floor and rubbing up against Acxa's leg. Narti steps up and touches a hand to Acxa's shoulder, and she nods.

"The Red Paladin rescued me from my pod where it had gotten stuck in one of the weblum's stomachs," Acxa says. "The yellow one joined him later. They were collecting scaultrite as well."

"Did you see the lions?" Zethrid asks.

"Yes," Acxa confirms. "They're considerable weapons. I can see why Emperor Zarkon wants them so badly."

"Who cares," Ezor says, almost crying out the words, before surging forward and pressing her mouth to Acxa's. It's sudden and there's this moment - this brief tick of time where nothing moves. Everything's still and all Ezor can feel is the warmth of Acxa's dry mouth on hers and the gut-wrenching feeling of her stomach flipping and plummeting into the void of space. 

And immediately after there's this flurry of noise against her ears - Zethrid's heavy footfalls as she drops Acxa's arm and stumbles away, Kova's curious mewl edging on surprise, the squelch of Acxa's dirty armor as the girl stumbles forward into Ezor. The small squeak of surprise that wafts out from between Acxa's lips.

And immediately after _that_ there's just joy as Acxa feverishly laces her arms around Ezor's neck and pushes up, kissing back firmly and without reserve.

"Did you see that coming?"

The cat meows, kind of smug.

"What? Lies. No way."

Acxa's the one to fall back, breathing heavily. "You waited too long for that," she says softly.

Ezor giggles. "I'll make up for it." She leans down and kisses her again, on the lips, the cheek, up her hairline, at the edges of her horns, back down over her eyelids and to her mouth again. "Don't leave me again," she whispers.

Acxa smiles into another kiss. "I'll always come back for this."

Ezor grins before bending to lift Acxa up, one arm under her legs and the other under her shoulders. "Zethrid's right. We gotta get you something to eat, and while I'm happy to provide, my tongue isn't going to give you the energy you need to gain back."

" _Ezor_ ," Acxa moans, blushing violet and curling her face into Ezor's waist away from Kova's keen eyes. "You can put me down."

"You can get used to it, love," Ezor sings, winking at Zethrid, who snorts, lips curling upward. "Don't be jealous, Narti," and Ezor swears if that cat had eyebrows it would be raising one at her in skepticism pretty hard right now. The slightly threatening tilt of Narti's head is worth it when Acxa peaks out to study Kova's body language, before realizing Ezor's bluff and blushing darker.

"Why..."

"Awwww." Ezor cuts off Acxa's embarrassed mumbling, carrying her out of the bay. "You're cute."

"Mmf."

"You kissed back, so you can't act like I'm being unnecessary," Ezor teases.

Acxa turns her face outward again. "You know I'd never find anything you do unnecessary," she says, offering a gentle smile up to Ezor.

"I know, because you loooove meeee," Ezor coos, bending down to kiss Acxa again.

"I wasn't aware..."

She gasps and looks up at Prince Lotor, watching them over his shoulder from where he stands at the front of the control room.

Acxa tries to stand. "Prince Lotor, I-"

"We're dating," Ezor announces, spinning around so Acxa closes her eyes and gives up, settling back into her arms. "Wheee!" She pinwheels out of the room, catching the slight quirk upward of Lotor's lips as he turns back to the display.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still on hiatus I swear


End file.
